SPRINGTIME: Sticks In My Yard
Why hasn’t the City come by and cut down those useless, tall sticks in my front yard and all along the street? Can’t they see how useless they are? Barren, brown, offering no shade or visible use. The City must know something. It happens every year. The sticks stand there with all this hidden potential down inside. Pretending to be dead and looking the part. Ah, but the Sherlock Holmes in me is now watching very closely everyday. Because, by instinct, I'm in on the secret too. And, by golly, I detect tiny, tiny little green “things” appearing. Even I, who am near sighted, who hates the dark of winter can see them growing. Gee, I think they are trees! Why, they’ll be gorgeous in a few weeks! I just know it! I’m glad the City didn’t give up on them and rip them out because they are not producing. Yet.
And so it is with the lives I see around me. A life that is not fully productive—yet. But given time and some encouragement, well, who knows? The story’s not in on all of us yet. I recently sold a house for a yoong couple who, due to losing jobs 6 months ago and overspending too, were facing foreclosure. They waited too long to get the house on the market and the bank was hot on their trail. I made up my mind that I would do everything I know to get them out of there without the scars of foreclosure on their record. After more negotiating than you want to hear about, I sold it and got it closed before the bank closed in. At first glance, this couple looks pretty hopeless. But given time and a fresh start, just watch their dust.
Many of you know I have a disabled daughter. Heartbreaking. Will a cure be found? Cut down in the prime of life with so much potential. Had a computer career, good job, talent, smart, hard worker. All that seems to be lost now. Well, guess what? She’s like those trees in my yard. The story’s not all in yet. Not by a long shot. And we will never, never, never, never give up. Not today, not next year, not ever. We will take our inspiration from the great violinist Paganini, who, while playing in a large concert performance, had a string break. He kept playing beautifully. Another string broke. He continued. A third string broke. Down to only one string he finished the concerto. Beautifully. We will strive on, on one string, if necessary. The barren trees will bloom. Maybe not as soon as I would like, but they will bloom.
I will not fret away my life and don’t you either. “ I’ve already suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.” I have a chance here on earth to bloom where I’m planted, for as long as I can and I will take that opportunity. Chuck Swindall said, “The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90 % how we respond to it.” That doesn’t mean that you and will never be discouraged or shed some tears. It does mean that we will dry our tears, pull up our socks, roll up our sleeves and deal with it. I see it all around me. Those sticks in the yard are going to bloom and so will we. Spring is here at last.
And so it is with the lives I see around me. A life that is not fully productive—yet. But given time and some encouragement, well, who knows? The story’s not in on all of us yet. I recently sold a house for a yoong couple who, due to losing jobs 6 months ago and overspending too, were facing foreclosure. They waited too long to get the house on the market and the bank was hot on their trail. I made up my mind that I would do everything I know to get them out of there without the scars of foreclosure on their record. After more negotiating than you want to hear about, I sold it and got it closed before the bank closed in. At first glance, this couple looks pretty hopeless. But given time and a fresh start, just watch their dust.
Many of you know I have a disabled daughter. Heartbreaking. Will a cure be found? Cut down in the prime of life with so much potential. Had a computer career, good job, talent, smart, hard worker. All that seems to be lost now. Well, guess what? She’s like those trees in my yard. The story’s not all in yet. Not by a long shot. And we will never, never, never, never give up. Not today, not next year, not ever. We will take our inspiration from the great violinist Paganini, who, while playing in a large concert performance, had a string break. He kept playing beautifully. Another string broke. He continued. A third string broke. Down to only one string he finished the concerto. Beautifully. We will strive on, on one string, if necessary. The barren trees will bloom. Maybe not as soon as I would like, but they will bloom.
I will not fret away my life and don’t you either. “ I’ve already suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.” I have a chance here on earth to bloom where I’m planted, for as long as I can and I will take that opportunity. Chuck Swindall said, “The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90 % how we respond to it.” That doesn’t mean that you and will never be discouraged or shed some tears. It does mean that we will dry our tears, pull up our socks, roll up our sleeves and deal with it. I see it all around me. Those sticks in the yard are going to bloom and so will we. Spring is here at last.
posted by Ann Baker, Realtor at
6:54 PM
